After being chosen by the Ice Queen

The deepest darkness before dawn enveloped the mountains and forests, while the forge hut behind the tavern emitted a light so intense it was almost unsettling.

Gu Yan and Qianye Lin rushed back to the tavern area, where Daodaozhai was already waiting at the door of the small house. His face was not sleepy at all, and his cloudy old eyes suddenly emitted a terrifying light.

"Did you get the stuff?" His voice was hoarse and urgent.

Gu Yan handed over the leather pouch. Chiba Rin leaned against a pillar, tore open her sleeve, which was corroded by the poisonous fog, revealing burns on her forearm. She gritted her teeth and treated the wound, cold sweat dripping from her forehead.

Daodaozhai took the leather bag, walked to the only relatively clean wooden table next to the forge, and poured out its contents.

The three pieces of divine steel spun with flowing light, while several crystals of demonic blood emitted an eerie rainbow glow. Besides these, this was the greatest gain of the trip.

"This is..." Daodaosai stretched out his finger, then stopped an inch away from the fragment.

"Cutting away calamity... distinguishing purity from impurity... indeed, indeed! That bastard Gui Tou Hao actually dared to touch such a thing! And he even put its fragments together with those filthy things!"

He turned to look at Gu Yan, his gaze sharp as lightning: "Kid, what did you feel when you touched it?"

"Resonance." Gu Yan said succinctly, feeling the warmth of the fragments blending seamlessly with his power. "It... is helping me cut away some bad things within me."

Daodaozhai stared at him, a complex expression on his face, almost like someone who had attained enlightenment: "An opportunity... an immense opportunity! And also an immense karmic connection!"

He asked no more questions, turning to the pile of materials, his eyes burning with the fervent passion of a craftsman. "With this fragment as its soul, divine steel as its bones, and demonic blood crystals as its foundation... that's enough. No, it's too extravagant! I've never forged such a... such a perfect embryo in my entire life!"

He suddenly looked at Chiba Rin: "Girl, give me your Black Rain!"

Chiba Rin tossed the sword over. Totosai drew his sword, staring at the fine wear and a trace of dark green poison on the blade.

"It's a fine knife, but its spirit has already begun to intertwine with your karma, so it would be a pity to destroy it. Perfect, use it as a catalyst to reforge it."

He then looked at the cicada-shaped scroll in Gu Yan's hand, "As for this one... its spiritual essence is newly born, and its material is too shallow to withstand the heat to come. Young man, if you trust me, melt it down as well, taking advantage of its lightness and swiftness, and refine it together with the new material!"

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Yan handed over the cicada leaf.

"Good! Good! Good!" Daodaozhai gathered the two swords and all the materials together, then turned to face the forge that had been humming softly for a long time. The fire in the forge glowed with a faint blue light.

"For the next three days, I will be in seclusion forging a sword. You two, guard the door and do not allow anyone to disturb you! I will have food and drink brought in through the window. If any of Gui Touhao's scum dares to sneak into this place... kill them without mercy!"

His words were resolute and left no room for doubt. At this moment, he was no longer the strange old man who lived in seclusion in the mountains, but had transformed back into the legendary, ruthless swordsmith he once was.

The hut was filled with the sickening scraping of metal and the pounding of a hammer. The hammering was sometimes as intense as a downpour, and sometimes intermittent.

Three days later, the hammering stopped abruptly.

Two beams of light, one blue and one red, shot into the sky, piercing the clouds. Faintly visible were the phantoms of dragons and snakes, and stars twinkled. A chilling will to sever everything and cleave through chaos spread out.

The mountains and forests trembled, and birds and beasts took flight in fright. Gu Yan and Qian Yelin abruptly stood up, silently gazing at this astonishing phenomenon.

The beam of light lasted for about ten breaths before slowly receding and dissipating, returning to silence.

The door to the forge hut slowly opened.

Daodaosai staggered out as if he had just been pulled from the water. His hands trembled slightly, each gripping a sheathed longsword.

The scabbard in his left hand was entirely black, its color deep and restrained, with only a few dark red patterns inlaid on the scabbard opening and the guard. The guard was shaped like a half-open black chrysanthemum.

The scabbard in his right hand was dark gray, made of neither gold nor wood, heavy and warm to the touch. Near the guard, there was a ring of patterns resembling clouds. The guard was a simple oval, the same color as the scabbard.

Totosai walked up to the two and handed the long, black sword in his left hand to Chiba Rin:

"This blade, fueled by black rain, with divine steel as its core and infused with demonic blood crystals, is imbued with your killing intent and the karma within your bloodline. Forged with the earth's yin fire and starlight, its nature is profound, ferocious, and resilient, adept at piercing armor and severing steel, and it grows by devouring blood. Its name is—Karma Fire Chrysanthemum Pattern."

Chiba Rin received the sword with both hands; it felt heavy in her hands, and the scabbard was cold. She drew the sword an inch from its sheath, and a dark red blade of light shot out, exuding a fierce and sharp aura.

Daodaozhai then handed the dark gray longsword in his right hand to Gu Yan:

"This sword is based on the spirit of cicadas, with divine steel and fragments of the Kusanagi Sword as its core. It draws upon the profound power within you and the divine nature of slaying evil as its soul, and is repeatedly tempered by the fire of the heart and the light of heaven. Its nature is sharp and spiritual, dedicated to cutting through falsehood, destroying evil spirits, and severing misfortune. Its form and substance are influenced by the fragments, existing between a sword and a blade, and can be slightly adjusted according to your will. It is named—Hidden Light."

Gu Yan took the Huiming sword. The scabbard felt warm to the touch, not cold. He gripped the hilt and slowly drew the sword, its blade a sharp line. With a slight exertion of power, the dark black and star-blue specks on the blade glowed faintly, and a chilling aura quietly permeated the air.

"What a fine blade!" Gu Yan exclaimed. Not only did Huiming perfectly embody and amplify his existing power, but it also subtly resonated with the characteristics of the new authority that was developing within him, possessing boundless potential.

Seeing how much the two of them loved it, Daodaosai smiled slightly on his tired face, but the smile was quickly replaced by a deeper seriousness: "A sword is inanimate, but a person is alive. The power of a sword depends on the heart and karma of the wielder. The Karmic Fire Chrysanthemum Pattern is bloodthirsty and must be controlled with a firm will, lest one be consumed by its ferocity. The Obscure and Bright Pattern is spiritual and requires communication with a pure heart; its ability to cut through calamity can also harm those with impure intentions."

He paused, his voice lowering, "The blade is forged, the cause and effect are sealed. Ghost Head Hao... will not let you go, nor will he let this old bone of mine go. How are you recovering?"

Chiba Rin swung the Karmic Fire Chrysanthemum Pattern a few times, feeling that although his arm injury had not fully healed, he could now wield the sword without much difficulty. His eyes blazed with fighting spirit: "Enough to kill."

Gu Yan also sheathed his sword and nodded, saying, "I've never been in such good shape."

"Alright." Daodaozai took a deep breath and looked at the mountains and forests outside the tavern where the mist was gradually dissipating. "I have received news that Guitouhao has roughly located this area. By tomorrow night at the latest, his main force and the main force of Huiya will search here. We can't stay here any longer."

He looked at the two of them: "Will you leave now to avoid the limelight and conserve your strength? Or...?"

Chiba Rin and Gu Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing the burning flames in each other's eyes.

"Right here," Chiba Rin said, emphasizing each word. "Wait for him to come and kill us."

Gu Yan stroked the gleaming hilt of the sword, feeling the cutting power it contained: "Wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and settle the score."

Daodaosai looked at the two men's resolute eyes, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of sake that he seemed to have produced from nowhere, exhaling a hot breath:

"Then let this place of debauchery... have one last lively moment!"

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